Dreaming of Vegas and Woke Up to This
by alaskan-crabber92
Summary: DEADLIEST CATCH: Josh Harris and his long term girlfriend broke up and he has a one night stand with his best friend. Will it last the trials and tribulations of the life of a crab fisherman or will it fall apart? OC/Josh Harris
1. Chapter 1

I was NOT going to post this until JakeHarrisLover made me. So here it is. I think it may be a one shot so let me know what you guys think. :) Any way, disclaimer: I don't own anything except Dakota Tsosie. Hurray. (Oh, how I wish I owned Josh...) Enjoy! :)

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Dakota stood behind the bar of the Elbow Room and wiped down the counter top. She glanced up when she noticed some one sit down in front of her. A smile spread across her face when she saw that it was Captain Phil Harris of the Cornelia Marie. "What can I do for you, Captain Harris," she asked as she leaned on the counter.

"Oh," he laughed, "there's a whole list that goes with that, baby. But for right now, you can just hand me another beer and a shot for Johnathon."

Dakota laughed and grabbed a beer first then poured Johnathon Hillstrand's shot. She set it in front of him and looked over at where Jake Harris, Freddy Maugatai, and Ryan Simpson were sitting. Looking around the table, she noticed some one was missing. "Where's Josh?"

Phil looked over at the table and shrugged, "Probably with Julianne. He'll probably be in later or at home."

The young woman rolled her eyes, "He's always with her."

"Actually," Phil said, lighting his cigarette, "he spends more time with you than he does with her. You're his best friend after all."

Dakota sighed and looked at him, "But she gets him a totally different way than I do. She's the girlfriend and I'm just the best friend."

Nodding, Phil sighed, "I know, baby girl; just a best friend who's in love with him. Maybe one of these days he'll get smart."

She blushed and rolled her eyes, "Don't get my hopes up, Phil." She saw Johnathon walk up and grab his shot. He smiled at Dakota when he handed her the empty glass. "Got tired of waiting?"

"Yep," John smiled at her and patted Phil on the shoulder and sat down. "Can I get a beer, honey?"

"Sure thing, Hillstrand." Dakota turned around and grabbed a beer from the cooler and set it in front of him.

"So what was taking you so long, Phil?" John asked.

"Oh," he said taking a drag off of his cigarette, "Dakota and I got to talking about something."

"About Josh?"

"Why do you figure that," the young woman asked.

"'Cause," Johnathon said, "I was watching you two as I was walking over here and I saw you blush at one point. So I just guessed it was about Josh and the fact that he's not here."

"I just think you just know me too well, John," Dakota laughed.

"Or that."

Phil smiled and tossed his empty bottle into the big trash can behind the bar. "Why don't you just come over after your shift?"

She glanced at her phone for the time, "I get off in ten minutes which puts it at about midnight. Are you sure that's okay?"

Phil nodded, "I could care less. You basically live with us any way and I'm sure Josh'll be home by then. He was pretty tired from working today."

She grinned, "Okay. I wont stay long, I promise."

"Hell," Phil said taking his house key off of his key ring, "I don't care if you spend the night. You're an adult and I've known you for your whole life. I know you wont do anything stupid like burn my house down or steal from us."

She smiled and took the key from him and put it on her key ring, "Thanks, Phil."

Johnathon chimed in, "Do I not get a key?"

Phil looked at him, "Hell no! I know you would take my bike!"

"Why would I need to? I have one of my own!"

Dakota rolled her eyes as the older men argued. She smiled when Jake Harris walked up to the bar and ordered another beer. "Here ya go, kiddo."

"Thanks," he smiled at her. "So I saw pops handed you a key. What's up with that?"

"Nothing," she shrugged. "I'm just gonna stop by your house after my shift and see Josh for a little bit. I may stay the night."

"Cool," he smiled and winked, "You're welcome to stay in my bed."

She smiled and ruffled his hair, "Thanks for the wonderful offer but I think I would rather sleep on the couch."

"One of these days, Kota, I'm gonna get you in my bed," Jake grinned.

"Jake!" Phil scolded a few seats down.

"What? You know its true, dad."

Dakota laughed, "You need to control your son, Phil!" She turned back to Jake and winked, "You're gonna get in trouble one of these days."

Jake shrugged, "And look how much I care." He leaned over the bar and kissed her on the cheek, "See ya back at the house." He smiled as he walked back over to his table.

She shook her head and started picking up empty bottles and throwing them away. After a few minutes, her phone started ringing. She looked at who was calling and raised an eye brow. "Hey, Josh."

"Dakota," his voice cracked, "when do you get off?"

Her heart sank as she glanced at the nearest clock, "In about four minutes. Why?"

There was silence on the other line as Josh took a deep breath, "I need you. Now. Please, Dakota."

She nodded and walked to the back. "Hang on, Josh," she put the phone to her chest and poked her head into the office. "Hey, Jason?"

The manager of the Elbow Room looked up and smiled, "What's up?"

"Do you mind if I leave now? I have to go help a friend. Something happened and they're pretty upset."

"Not at all," he smiled, "Just be here by ten in the morning."

"Thanks," she nodded and put the phone back up to her ear to hear Josh crying. "Josh," she soothed as she walked out of the back to her Jeep, "what happened, honey?"

"I'll tell you when you get here," he sighed. Silence fell over the phone and finally he mumbled, "I love you, Dakota."

She shut the door of her Jeep and cranked it, "I love you too, Josh." And she meant it. But she knew that she meant it a totally different way than Josh did. When she was sixteen, she realized that she was ass over tea kettle in love with the man. Finally one weekend, when she was staying with the Harris', she had gotten the courage to have a heart to heart with Josh and tell him how she really felt about it. He gently told her that he didn't return said feelings. She was crushed, but being the tough daughter of a skipper that she was, she sucked it up and kept her feelings for Josh buried. Of course, over the years they never went away; only got stronger.

During the whole fifteen minute ride to the Harris' house, her mind kept racing with all of the different things that could have happened to somehow make Josh cry. _Maybe I just _ thought _I heard him crying. But then again, I did hear his voice crack when I answered the phone... _When she finally got to the house, she parked behind Josh's truck and let herself in the house with the key that Phil gave her. She walked into the living room and found no one. She then walked down the hallway into the kitchen and looked out of the back door and found Josh sitting by the fire pit on the back porch.

She walked out and put a hand on Josh's shoulder, "Josh? What happened?"

Josh stood up and pulled her into a tight embrace, "Julianne and I broke up."

Dakota took a deep breath, "I'm sorry to hear that. Why?"

"She said she couldn't be with a fisherman," he shrugged, "and that we didn't have a future together. But it doesn't matter."

She looked up at him and put a hand on the side of his face, "Then why are you so upset?"

"Because I finally realized something after all of these years and I'm pissed at myself that it took so long." He leaned down closer to Dakota and brushed his lips against hers. At first she as shocked and hesitant but finally she melted at his touch. Their lips moved in unison and finally she broke the kiss.

"Josh, what's going on?"

He smiled down at her, "Don't you see? I finally realized that the only person that I want to be with is you, Dakota."

"But you told me a few years ago that you didn't feel the same way as I did."

"I was lying," he pulled her closer, "I've been in love with you for years now. I didn't want to admit it to myself and ruin what we had and honestly, now I don't give a damn. And I've never had the chance to tell you until tonight. The only reason I staid with Julianne so long is because she reminded me of you."

Dakota buried her face in his chest, inhaling his scent, "Josh, have you been drinking or is this a dream?"

He laughed, "Neither. This is real, Dakota. I promise you." He put his hand under her chin and lifted her face up toward his, "I love you, Dakota. I know I've said that before but I mean it tonight. I really mean it."

She smiled, "I love you too, Josh. I have for years." She stood up on her toes and kissed him again. As the kiss became more passionate, they some how made their way inside to the kitchen. Josh picked her up and carried her up to his room, kicking the door shut behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

Dakota woke up in her best friend's bed, her mind reeling from the night before. She didn't have a single drink but the night was a blur. The woman rolled over and found Josh still asleep beside her, his right arm wrapped around her waist still holding her tight. She groaned mentally, rolling her eyes, and grabbed her underwear and Josh's t-shirt off of the floor and quietly walked to the door. Dakota glanced back over her shoulder and shook her head. The smell of bacon drifted upstairs and coxed her down to the kitchen. She walked into the kitchen and saw Jake at the stove. Trying not to look like a hot mess, she ran a hand through her hair and walked over to the coffee pot and poured herself a mug.

"It's useless," Jake laughed without looking up, "you're gonna have sex hair until you take a shower."

Dakota groaned as she sat down at the table, "Shut up, Jake..."

He laughed again, "I'm not the one you should be telling to shut up. You two kept me up until three. And I'm pretty sure you guys kept Phil up too."

"Oh fuck," she put her head on the table, "Phil is gonna have my ass..."

"What Josh hasn't taken already."

"Jake! Shut the hell up!"

"Sorry," he laughed. Finally he turned around and faced the woman, "Fuck! Dakota, you look like hell. Are you okay?"

She looked up at him and shook my head, "I don't know what went through my mind last night, Jake. I really don't want to hurt your brother but I'm not sure how I feel about all this. He's my best friend and I don't wanna see him hurt. And he was so broken last night." Tears threatened to flow and she looked out of the window that looked out over the harbor. "I mean, its seriously no secret that I've had feeling for Josh for years but I didn't think that _this_ would ever happen."

Jake put the food on the back burner and sat down beside her. "What happened any way? I know he didn't go to the bar and you guys didn't drink here either..."

Dakota looked back at Jake, a few tears falling, "He called me, crying after Julianne broke up with him. He said he needed me. I thought he just meant he needed some one to talk to and I'm usually that person he goes to after something like that happens. So I came over and found him on the back deck in pieces. I finally got him to start talking and he kissed me. Then literally one thing led to another." She shook her head, "I could have said no, Jake. But I didn't because I didn't want to hurt him. And now..."

Jake pulled her into a hug, "Yeah, you coulda said no but you didn't because, well face it, you didn't want to. Trust me, I've been there. Just see how this morning goes with him and see how you feel later."

She looked up at him and smiled, "Thanks, Jake. You've always known what to say, literally all our lives."

He laughed and shrugged, "What can I say? I'm a natural born genius."

The woman rolled her eyes and kissed him on the cheek.

"Well you better finish cooking breakfast, genius," some one said from the doorway.

Jake and Dakota both froze and looked over toward the doorway. "Jesus, dad! Don't freak us out like that," Jake said, standing up.

"Did I interrupt something?"

She shook her head, "No, sir. Jake was just giving me some advice."

"On how to handle Josh?" Phil asked, lighting up a cigarette.

She nodded, reaching for her pack that some how ended up on the table. "Were you smoking my cigs, Jake?"

He nodded, "Yeah. But don't worry, I wont do it again. You smoke those nasty girly shitty things."

She rolled her eyes, "You owe me a pack damn it."

"Whatever."

Dakota looked back over to Phil, who was smiling. "So," he said scratching his scruff, "you don't know what to do, huh?"

She shook her head, "And I'm really sorry if we kept you up. I mean, I'm really sorry and really embarrassed."

"Well you're wearing his shirt like a trophy." He laughed when she blushed, "Dakota, Josh is a big boy. He'll be okay if you tell him how it really is. I heard what Jake said and I actually agree with him."

She nodded and wiped the tears off of her face when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. She looked at Phil, "Do I look okay?"

He nodded and smiled up at his oldest son has he walked into the kitchen, wearing nothing but his boxers that she had carelessly thrown on the floor, "Morning Romeo! How did you sleep?"

"Dad," Josh mumbled, "too early..."

"Oh," Phil grinned with sarcasm, "did you have a long night?"

"Dad!" Josh groaned, "gimme a break."

"Like the one you gave Dakota last night," Jake jumped in.

Dakota blushed and laughed as she lit her cigarette.

Josh punched his younger brother in the arm, "That's none of your business, Junior."

"You woke the whole damn neighborhood, Josh!"

Dakota laughed, "It's true, Josh. We were kinda loud."

"You know it was loud," Phil commented, "when the woman said it was loud."

Josh finally cracked a smile and sat down beside her. He looked at the shirt she was wearing and laughed, "So that's where that went, huh?"

She nodded and kissed him on the cheek.

"She's been wearing it like a trophy too," Phil smiled at us. "But seriously, next time, gimme a heads up so I'll know to buy some ear plugs or sleep on the boat."

Josh looked up at his dad and said, "You're never gonna let us live this down, are you?"

"Me? I'll let it go in a couple of days." He pointed over at Jake, "Him on the other hand? He'll beat this horse until it's dead and past that."

"Oh, hell yeah," Jake laughed. "I'm gonna use this as black mail."

"Jake," Dakota laughed, "black mail is usually something you're embarrassed of or wish you hadn't done."

"And from the sound of it last night," Phil said, taking a drag off of his cigarette, "you two didn't regret it nor are you embarrassed by it."

She blushed and looked out of the window as Josh laughed, "I don't know about her, but I'm pretty happy with how things turned out."

Dakota rolled her eyes and looked over at Jake, "How long until breakfast is ready?"

"About forty five minutes or so."

She nodded and stood up, "I think I'm gonna go grab a shower so I don't look like a mess." She put her coffee cup in the sink and finished her cigarette. She heard some one stand up and follow her footsteps into the hallway. She looked back over her shoulder and saw Josh walking behind her. Dakota smiled at him, "Yes?"

He smiled back at her and wrapped his arm around her waist, "I just thought I would join you, if you don't mind?"

Her heart jumped as his arm touched her but she shrugged and tried to hide the fact that she was blushing, "I don't care. It's your house any way."

He lifted her face up toward him, "Why are you blushing?"

She laughed and shook his arm off, "Because the oh so sexy Josh Harris is wanting to take a shower with me and I'm flattered." The woman rolled her eyes and walked up the stairs, toward the bedrooms.

Josh followed, closely on her heels, "'The oh so sexy Josh Harris', huh? I like the sound of that." They walked into his room and he shut the door.

She looked up from her bag and cocked an eye brow at him.

He looked over at Dakota, "Look, about last night-"

"Josh," She held up a hand and stopped him, "I know it's not what we were expecting to happen. I mean, you know that a while back I had a crush on you and all that good high school crap but you and Julianne were pretty serious so I moved on." She locked eyes with him and mumbled, "Well, I sorta moved on."

He walked over to her and put a hand on the side of her face, "You say that it's not what we expected but I did. I knew Julianne were going to shit and I realized that the only person outside of my family that has been there for me through all of this shit was you. I realized that you and I let something that could have been great pass by us a few years back. I knew you never really moved on and honestly, I didn't either."

Dakota looked at him questioningly, waiting for him to keep talking.

"When we were teenagers," he started. It finally felt good for him to get all this off of his chest, "I had the biggest crush on you. I was head over heels for you, Dakota. Phil swore I was in love. But then I saw that you didn't feel the same way so I sucked it up and dated other girls. But none of them were you. They didn't laugh the same way, cry the same way, smile the same way, make me happy the same way." He took his hand away from her face, "I guess what I've been trying to say is that I've felt this way for you all this time and I've just now gotten the opportunity to tell you."

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Dakota sighed, "Wow, Josh... I'm really... Surprised."

He sat down beside her and sighed, "Yeah. I'm sorry I just threw all that on you. I just had to get it off my chest and out there. Ya know?"

She nodded while her mind replayed everything he had just said. "So," she looked over at him, "you knew last night was going to end like it did?"

He nodded, "I mean, I didn't know for sure but I had a pretty good feeling. I was going to be okay if you tried to stop it but you never said anything." He stood up and looked back at her, "So how about that shower?"

She grinned and reached into her overnight bag and grabbed some clothes then followed him into the bathroom. As he turned the water on and warmed it up, Dakota looked at the mirror to see how much damage she was going to be working with. For starters, her make up was caked up under her eyes but on the bright side, it made her eyes look extremely blue and brought out the gold around her pupil. She then looked at her hair and sighed. The woman swore her hair was straight when she came over the night before but from the sweat, it was back to its natural wavy ways. She ran a brush through her blonde hair and put it up in a pony tail to wash her face real quick.

Josh cussed under his breath, "It takes forever for this damn water to heat up."

Dakota splashed some ice cold Alaskan water on my face and took a deep breath, "I think it feels great." I glanced over at him and found him watching her, "What?"

"Nothing," he smiled. "You just look so beautiful this morning. You pull off sex hair fantastically."

She blushed, "You liar! I look like hell." She quickly brushed her teeth and then walked over and sat on his lap as he sat on the edge of the tub.

Josh kissed her neck and held her closer, "I've never told you but your perfume has always turned me on."

"Really? Well I'll be sure to not wear it around you. I don't want to be a distraction or anything."

He eyed her playfully, "Trust me, you being around me is a distraction in itself. I can't keep my hands off of you. It's like you have me hypnotized."

She smiled and kissed him. When their lips met, his right hand began rubbing her thigh. After a few seconds, she stood up and turned around so she could straddle his lap. His hands found the bottom of her shirt and began to lift it. She quickly found her way out of the shirt and stood up to take his boxers off.

As she reached for them, his hand caught hers. "Wait, wait, wait. We can't do this now," he mumbled.

"Why?"

"Because my dad is downstairs, awake this time, and plus breakfast is almost done." He stood up and placed a hand on the side of her face, "But trust me, we'll finish this later." He wrapped her in a hug, "I'm sorry I got you all worked up, baby."

She laid her head on his chest, "It's okay. But we're finishing this later damn it."

He laughed and checked the water, "Alright, shower time." He looked back at Dakota, "Ladies first."

She rolled her eyes and finished undressing. She took her hair down stepped into the shower, adjusting the water. Just a few seconds after she got the water how she wanted it, Josh stepped in with her. She looked up at him, "We need to keep this quick if we're gonna avoid harassment from your brother."

Josh smiled and rolled his eyes, "Trust me, I've got some crazy shit on him. He wont mess with us."

Dakota stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself and rung her hair out. About that time, Phil came up stairs and knocked on the door to tell them that breakfast was ready. Her and Josh quickly got dressed and then raced down the stairs. Dakota shoved past him when they got to the top of the stairs and quickly jumped down the last five stairs. About half way down, Josh decided he was just going to jump the hand rail and sprint down the hallway that led to the kitchen. She grabbed the back of his pants and pulled him back, putting her in the lead. She smiled over her shoulder at him and kept running. Josh took this opportunity to shove her into the wall (without hurting her) and then slid into the kitchen.

"Yes! I whooped your ass, Dakota!" He faced her as she barreled into the kitchen right after him.

"Fuck you, Josh!"

"If I'm not mistaken," Phil laughed as they caught their breath, "you've already done that, honey."

Dakota rolled her eyes and sat down between Josh and Phil at the table. Josh reached over and ruffled her hair, "Nice try, kiddo."

She slapped his hand away and stuck her tongue out at him. "I want a rematch. You threw me into the wall." She rubbed her shoulder for emphasis.

"You'll live."

"You threw her into a wall?" Jake asked. "That's low. She's a chick! You can't do that."

Dakota looked up at Jake as he put pancakes on her plate, "What? You think I can't handle it 'cause I'm a girl?"

Josh laughed, "You've done it now, bro."

Jake looked at her with wide eyes, "That's not what a meant, Kota!"

She stood up and looked at him, "You think I'm not tough enough, huh?" Dakota whipped her head around and made eye contact with the oldest Harris brother, "Rematch this afternoon down at the Elbow Room. Got it?"

Josh nodded, "Yes, ma'am!"

Jake grabbed her shoulders and shook her, "I. Did. Not. Mean. It. Like. That!"

Dakota stared at him for a second then burst into a smile, "I know, Jake. I was just fuckin' with you." She wrapped him in a hug as an apology.

He hugged her back, "It's okay. Just don't freak me out like that again. I thought you were about to kill me."

"So," Phil started, "apparently you have to work today, Dakota?"

She nodded as she took a huge bite of pancake in her mouth, "Yeah, Jason wants me in today. He figures you guys will be in again tonight as you have been for the past two weeks."

Phil laughed, "Well, there's nothing to do on dry land for captains." He smiled at her, "I promise we wont make a big mess tonight so you wont have to clean it up."

Dakota smiled, "Thanks, Phil." She looked over at the clock on the wall to check the time, "Oh shit!" She shot up and grabbed her pack of cigarettes from beside Jake, "I gotta be down there in twenty minutes." She walked toward the door and called back over her shoulder, "I'll see you guys in a little bit!"

Josh stood up and grabbed her arm, "Hold on." He spun her back around and wrapped her in a hug, "You need to grab my jacket that's laying on the couch and wear it since you didn't bring one last night."

She smiled and nodded, "Yes, sir. Now, if you don't mind Josh, I have to go."

He looked down at her and gave her a quick kiss, "I'll be down in a few."

"I'll be there." She walked to the door and grabbed Josh's Cornelia Marie hoodie and quickly jumped in her Jeep. The woman pulled on the jacket as she threw her car into reverse and headed down the driveway, heading toward the most popular bar in town.


	3. Chapter 3

Dakota lit a cigarette as she pulled up to the Elbow Room and climbed out of her Jeep Wrangler. Jason was standing outside, talking on the phone. He checked his watch and smiled at her, "Two minutes to spare, Tsosie."

She nodded and took a drag, "Long night, dude. Long night."

"Lemme call you back, Nancy," Jason said into the phone. He looked back at her, "I heard Josh and Julianne broke up yesterday. And I also see that you're wearing his jacket."

She looked down at the jacket and sighed, "Yeah, they broke up and it took a pretty bad toll on him. He called me sobbing and begged me to come over and stay with him. That's why I left early last night."

Jason eyed her and smiled, "You look like you did more than just stay with him, Kota."

"I know," She blushed. "I figured I could freshen up alittle more after I get done cleaning?"

He nodded and motioned toward the door, "Go on and get done. You don't have much to do. Emma took care of most of it."

She smiled, "Thanks, Jace." The woman walked in to the bar and looked around for Emma. She found her cleaning tables. "Hey, girl!"

She stood up and turned around, "Hey, Kota! Nice jacket!"

Dakota rolled her eyes and laughed, "It's not mine, Em. Any way, what all do I need to do?"

She looked around the bar, "Just wipe down the bar and clean a few glasses that are left over from last night. Oh! And maybe dust off the TV's?"

Dakota nodded and called over her shoulder to her, "So did you hear what Julianne did to Josh?"

"I heard she cheated on him with some out of town guy but that's all I've heard."

"Wait, what? She _cheated_ on him?"

"Oh honey, don't tell me you didn't know?" Emma walked over to the bar and looked at Dakota. She shook her head and waited for Emma to continue. "Yeah," she went on, "the fleet was out for Opilio and this guy came in from out of town and sweet talked her into his hotel bed. I watched her walk out of here, completely sober and not a single sign of regret on her face. Not only once but about five times or so. And with different guys." She looked at Dakota with concern when her nostrils flared and she chewed her gum hard enough for her jaw to pop audibly on every chew, "Are you okay, Kota?"

She shook her head and hissed, "That skank lied to him. She told him that she didn't think they had a future and that she couldn't be with a crab fisherman." Her fists tightened and her knees shook, "She lied to him even in the end."

Emma's eyes widened, "It'll shatter his heart if he finds out that she cheated on him and lied."

She nodded her head, "I don't know if I'll tell him but I'm sure as hell gonna say something to that bitch." Dakota whipped her head toward the door when it opened.

Jason walked in and threw his hands up, "I didn't do anything! I was just talking to my wife!"

"Did you know she cheated on Josh too?"

Jason's face fell, "Yeah. And I even tried to talk to her one time and remind her that she was in a great relationship. But she just looked at me like I was a fool." He looked at Dakota, "You just heard?"

"Yeah," she sighed, "she told Josh that she couldn't be with a crab fisherman. I didn't know she was sleeping with some traveling strangers."

Jason walked behind the bar and grabbed three beers, "You gonna tell him? You're his best friend after all."

Dakota sighed, "I don't know. Probably. I mean, he deserves to know right?"

"And now that he's got you, he probably wont be as hurt," Emma said taking a swig of her beer.

"What do you mean 'has me'?" she asked taking her beer from Jason.

"Can you not see it when he looks at you? He's in love with you, Dakota. He only dates around because he doesn't wanna fuck up your friendship. But now that you uhm... stayed with him... he'll probably go after you and not give a rat's ass what happens to Julianne."

She looked at Jason, "Is he really? I mean, him and I talked earlier but I just figured he was just sleep deprived."

He nodded, "Yeah. Badly, Dakota. I'm really surprised it took you this long. Of course, I'm not _that_ surprised since you look at him the same way."

Dakota blushed and took a drink of her beer, "I mean, it's not really a secret that I've had feelings for him but I never thought he would have them for me. Well, until last night."

"How was that by the way?" Emma asked, leaning on the the bar.

"Alright, kids! Back to work," Jason said, covering his ears as he made his way to his back office.

Emma and Dakota burst into laughter as they walked back to whatever they were doing before. Dakota looked at her, "You should know pretty damn close to how it was, you're with Jake after all."

Emma squealed and threw a towel at her.


	4. Chapter 4

As Dakota was putting the wash cloth back in the bucket under the bar, the front door opened and Jake Anderson from the Northwestern walked in. She looked up and smiled at him, "Hey, Anderson."

He waved and walked over the bar, sitting on a stool, "Hey yourself, Tsosie. What's happenin' around here?"

"Absolutely nothing," She shook her head and put up some glasses from the cooling rack that she had just gotten from the back.

"So how are Josh and Julianne?"

She looked up from the glass she was inspecting and glared, "They broke up yesterday."

"Really?" Jake looked genuinely shocked, "I didn't see that coming."

Dakota nodded and sighed, "Yeah, apparently she cheated on him about five or six times and she told him she couldn't be with a fisherman and all that typical shit."

"Man," he ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair, "that's hard..."

"Yep, but that's life. Ya know?"

He nodded and smiled up at her, "And I can't help but notice that you're wearing his jacket. Did you happen to go over there last night?"

She laughed, "He's my best friend. What was I supposed to do? Tell him, 'Sorry, Josh, but I'm currently working. Can this wait until the morning?' No. He woulda ended up at my front door."

Jake shrugged, "I know you guys are best friends. I was just messin' with you." He glanced toward the back and saw Emma walking out with a large box, "Well, that must be Sig's order."

Dakota glanced over her shoulder, "Wait, you guys ordered something? I didn't even hear the phone ring."

"Yeah," he nodded as he took the box, "We got some chicken fingers and fries. You guys have the best in town."

She laughed and typed in Sig's tab number on the cash register, "Whatever, Jake. Tell Sig I'll put it on his tab with lots of love. Okay?"

Jake smiled, "I'll tell him word for word." He walked toward the door and called back, "We'll be back later tonight!"

"Bye," Emma and Dakota both called at the same time.

"He's so cute," Emma laughed.

The woman raised an eyebrow at her friend, "You remember you're dating my best friend's little brother, right?"

"Yeah," she laughed, "but I can't think another guy is cute?" She turned to walk toward the back again.

Dakota rolled my eyes and finished putting the glasses on the rack above her as her cell phone rang. She groaned and pulled it out of her back pocket. She slid her finger on the screen without looking at who was calling, "Hello?"

"Where's Emma?"

She rolled her eyes again, "Jake, you know she has a cell phone that's all her own, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then call _her_. Not me." Dakota hung up and put her phone in my back pocket. Soon after, her pocket started to sing "Wanted Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi and buzz again. "What, Jake?"

"Whoa! Bad time? And wrong person," a deeper voice asked.

"Oh," she blushed, "sorry, Josh. Jake was just bugging me about where Emma was. What's up?"

"Nothin' much. I'm just bored out of my mind at the house and I was wondering if I could come down there and help or something."

"I take it crab fishermen don't like laying around the house much?"

"No," he groaned, "we need something to do."

She laughed, "Sure. I'm sure I can find you something to do down here. And Jason is in a pretty good mood so I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you came and kept me company."

"Great," Dakota heard him smile and his truck's engine start. "I'll be down there in about fifteen minutes."

"I'll be here," she laughed as she hung up her phone again.

Emma walked out of the back with an unlit cigarette in one hand and her phone in the other, texting. She glanced up at Dakota, "Wanna take a smoke break?"

"Yeah, but I don't feel like going outside. It's freezing."

"Me either. Here," she walked over to one of the tables and opened a window, "problem solved."

The woman laughed and jumped over the counter, "Hey, your boyfriend called me, asking where you were."

"I know. I didn't have a signal in the back for a few minutes and apparently he tried to call me in that time span."

"What did he want?"

"He wants to take me out to dinner tonight and show me the boat since I've never been on it."

Dakota raised an eyebrow, "Show you the boat?"

Emma blushed, "Not like that!" Then she smiled, "Well, maybe. Hopefully."

"Oh. Gross! I didn't wanna know that, Em!" She lit her cigarette, hoping the smoke would wipe away the nasty picture she involuntarily had in her mind.

"Hey," she laughed, "you're the one who cocked your eyebrow." She lit her cigarette and smiled, "Any way, it's been a while since him and I got to get any free time together. He's been back for only a few days and I've been working up here like a dog."

Dakota nodded, "I know how you feel. I got to see Josh for like, two hours one day before last night."

"And just think," Emma sighed, taking a drag off her cigarette, "they're about to leave again in about a week or so."

The woman nodded and looked out the window, not wanting to think about it. She knew how it went; She would go down to the docks, hug the Harris boys good bye and give Phil a kiss on the cheek for good luck, and watch them sail out. That's how it was every time they left for a season. But this time might be different with Josh and her. There was a good chance she wouldn't just be watching her two best friends sail off but she would be watching her boyfriend possibly. _I seriously need to talk to Josh._ Dakota sighed and took a drag from her cigarette.

"Hey," Emma said, snapping her back to reality, "you okay?"

"Huh?" She looked up at her, "Oh, yeah. I'm okay. I was just thinking about when they leave. But I'm okay." She looked out the window and ashed her cigarette.

She looked at Dakota for a long while then finally said, "Spill it."

Dakota looked back at her, "Well, every season it's no big deal to see them off at the docks. But I think this season is going to be different."

"With you and Josh, you mean?"

She nodded, "Yeah. Every season, I go down to the docks, hug them good bye and wish Phil luck. But what if Josh and I end up being more than just best friends? How am I going to cope with him going out on the Bering Sea and possibly never coming back?"

"Just do what I do, don't think about him out there in those storms. Just think about when he'll come back and what ever you guys are gonna do." Exhaling smoke, she said, "Oh, and keep one of his jackets too."

She smiled, "I think I'm getting ahead of myself any way. I don't think it'll turn into anything serious between us. Plus I don't wanna get my hopes up."

Emma nodded, "Understandable but I can promise you that it'll be something serious, girl. I can promise you that."

Dakota shrugged, "So where are you two going for dinner?"

"Well," she grinned, "that's the thing. He doesn't want to go out to any where. I think he might actually be cooking for me."

The woman's eyes widened, "Oh wow. Has he ever cooked for you before?"

She shook her head, "I'm really excited though."

"You should be," Dakota smiled. "Jake Harris is seriously one of the best cooks I've ever met."

Emma blushed as the front door opened. Dakota glanced back over her shoulder and saw Josh walk in, wearing tight fitting jeans, a white t-shirt and his black North Face, and his beanie to one side. She smiled and waved him over.

He walked over to the girls and sat down beside Dakota. He kissed her on the cheek, "Hey. What's going on down here?"

She shook her head, "Exactly what you see now. Nothing."

He laughed and looked over at Emma, "What have you done to my brother?"

"Hello to you too, Josh," she smiled. "I haven't done anything. He wants to cook dinner for me and then show me the boat. Why?

"Because he's cleaning the house like a fool." He looked over at Dakota, "That's part of the reason why I had to get out of there. Plus he basically kicked me out."

Emma laughed, "I'm sorry about that." She finished her cigarette and stood up, "Well, I'm gonna go finish up in the back."

When the back doors shut, Josh wrapped his arm around Dakota's waist and pulled her closer, "So how's your day down here been so far?"

She shrugged, "Slow. Nothing really exciting has happened so far."

"Hey, what do you say if we take a walk down to the docks."

The woman smiled up at him, "Lemme go talk to Jason real quick." She stood up and walked to the back. She knocked on the office door and waited.

"C'mon in," Jason called from the other side.

Dakota poked her head in and smiled, "Hey, Jason. Um, do you mind if I take off until my shift tonight? I'm done with everything."

Jason looked up at her and shrugged, "I don't give a damn. Just be here by seven and we'll be good."

She smiled at him, "Thanks, Jace!"

He smiled back, "No problem."

Dakota walked back out to the front and saw Josh standing by the door, talking on the phone. "No, dad. I promise we wont touch anything." He looked up at her and smiled. "Honestly, Phil. What could we break?" He paused and listened to Phil on the other end, "Yeah. I got it. Thanks, pops." Josh smiled as she walked over to him.

"What was that about?"

"I just had to make sure it's okay with dad if you and I head to the boat for alittle bit since Jake already called it for tonight."

She blushed, "Oh. Alright."

Josh laughed and took her hand, "Come on. My truck is already warming up." He led her out of the door and out into the cold. She shivered and pulled his jacket that she had on closer. He looked down at her, "That thing doesn't keep you warm at all. Plus it's huge on you."

Dakota laughed, "It doesn't matter. It keeps some of the wind off so I'm good."

He shrugged, "Whatever. Freeze if you wanna."

Smiling, she put her arm through his, "So why are we going down to the boat?"

"Well," Josh smiled as he opened the passenger side door for her, "I was kind of wanting to take you out into the harbor and show you the mountains." He pulled a keyring out of his pocket, "I kinda sorta snuck the key out of the house. With Jake's help, of course."

She laughed as he shut the door and walked around the other side of the truck, "Of course Jake helped! He needs the keys for tonight."

"Yep," Josh laughed as they pulled out of the parking lot. "It was the least I could do since he's letting me use it now and he gets it tonight."

Rolling her eyes, she moved over to sit beside him. She laid her head on his shoulder as he drove. The woman looked out of the windshield and saw a Bald Eagle flying over head. "Holy shit!"

"What?"

"That eagle," she pointed to the sky. "It's been years since I've seen one."

He pulled her closer, "When's the last time you saw one?"

She thought back and smiled, "I was about twelve and I was on the bow of my dad's boat. We were coming back into the harbor when we saw it." She leaned up to watch it fly, "That's fantastic."

Josh laughed, "Yeah, they are."

Dakota leaned back and put her head back on his shoulder. Josh smiled and put his hand between her knees. Her mind drifted back to when they were younger; Josh was nineteen, she was seventeen, and Jake was sixteen. Thinking back, she remembered the first time Josh brought one of his girlfriends home to meet Phil.

_Dakota's parents and her were over for dinner and Josh walked in with a busty blonde and introduced her as Krissy. They all smiled and said hello; except Jake and Dakota. Phil and her mom got on to them for being "rude" as Krissy stood there, unable to keep her hands off of Josh while he was still in the same room as his father. All throughout dinner, her and Jake watched this girl as she put on a smiled for the adults but talked down to them._ She has got to be the biggest bitch I have ever met_, Dakota had thought to herself._

_ Finally after dinner, Josh took Krissy home and came back about four hours later. When he walked in, Phil asked him what had taken him so long. Josh shrugged, "I broke up with her and she pitched a fit."_

_ Phil looked shocked, "Why? She was sweet, Josh!"_

_ "Because dad," Josh said, walking over to the couch and sitting down on the arm rest, "did you see the way she acted? She acted like she didn't know how to keep her hands off of me while we were still around you guys, which is totally disrespectful in my opinion, and I don't like how she talked to Jake and Dakota. She treated them like they're idiots just because they're a few years younger than us. It pissed me off."_

_ They all sat in silence for a few minutes until Phil smiled, "That's my boy! Always seein' through people's bull shit!"_

_ Josh smiled as his dad ruffled his hair, "Thanks, dad."_

Still looking through the windshield, Dakota looked up at Josh and smiled. He glanced down at her, "What?"

"I just remembered that time you brought Krissy over for dinner then broke up with her when you took her home," I shrugged.

Josh thought for a second then laughed, "I remember that. She was wearing that bright pink tank top and those ripped up jeans. She wasn't the best girl I ever brought home."

She shook my head, "Not really."

Josh pulled up at the docks and put the truck in park next to the Northwestern. "Well, we're here."


	5. Chapter 5

Dakota sat up and climbed out of the truck. Stretching her back, she looked out over the Northwestern and saw the massive teal and yellow ship. She smiled as Josh took her hand and lead her toward the ships.

"We've gotta walk over Sig's boat. We didn't beat them here so we had to double dock."

Shrugging, Dakota said, "Whatever. Sig loves me so I know he wont mind if I'm on his boat for about three minutes." They walked over the edge of the dock and Josh stepped over on to the Northwestern, right foot first. He held his hand out to her. "Seriously? I'm a big girl, Josh. I know the right way to get on a boat." He stepped out of the way as Dakota jumped onboard, avoiding the rail in all, and landed right foot first as always.

About the same time her feet touched the deck, Edgar walked out of the wheelhouse, "It's about time you decided to join our crew, Kota!"

She looked up and ran to him, "You know Sig wouldn't take me out as much as you guys love me."

"I know," Edgar sighed as he hugged Dakota. "I think you would do great out there." He looked back at the deck and saw Josh standing behind them. "Hey, kiddo!"

"Hey, Edgar," Josh smiled. "Not to be rude or anything but can I have Dakota back?"

"Oh," Edgar let go of her, "sure." He caught her arm as she turned around to climb back to the deck, "Are you two together?"

"It's kinda complicated," she smiled and climbed down. _Why is every one so nosey? It's not a big deal if we're together or not._

Edgar looked back at Josh, "Take care of her! If I find out you've done anything to her, I'm gonna come after you, Harris. Got it?"

"Roger," Josh smiled at Edgar. He took her hand and led her toward the other side where the Cornelia Marie was docked. He jumped over to his boat and looked back at Dakota, "Need help?"

She looked down at the distance between the ships and thought for a second. Looking back up at Josh, she sighed, "Yeah, this makes me a little nervous ever since Johnathon fell between the Time Bandit and the dock, now that I think about it." He smiled at her and held his hand toward her. Even though he fell between the dock and the boat, what freaked her out was that _both_ of the boats were moving. At least the dock stayed in one place. She reached out and took his hand and then stepped up on the rail of the Northwestern with her right foot. Josh reached out and took her other hand to steady her. After gaining her balance, she put her left foot on the Cornelia Marie's rail and quickly jumped on deck, right foot first.

Josh caught her and pulled her into a hug, "You make me nervous, girl."

She laughed and looked out over the harbor, into Dutch Harbor, "That's beautiful, Josh."

He laughed and put his chin on her shoulder, "Yeah, but she's got quite a temper."

"I've heard stories," she said as her mind drifted to memories of her father. She turned around to face him. "So what do we do now?"

"Well," he ran a hand through his hair, "I was thinking we could go out a ways in the harbor and I could show you the mountains."

She looked over her shoulder at the harbor, "Are you allowed to do that?"

He laughed, "No, but who is gonna know?"

"Oh, dear God," she laughed.

"Why don't you go up to the wheelhouse while I go fire up the main?"

She nodded and walked inside. She walked into the galley and grabbed a glass of coke, then made her way up to the wheelhouse. Dakota looked out of the window and waited for the engines to crank. Suddenly the wheelhouse phone rang. Dakota cocked an eyebrow as she walked over and answered the phone, "Yes?"

"Hey," Josh said, "Look in the cut out under the feeds and reach all the way back until you feel a hook hanging down."

Dakota did as she was told and she grabbed something that was hanging from the hook. She looked at the item in her hand and laughed, "A key?"

"Yeah, I forgot to give you the one I got from the house. Could you put it in the ignition and turn it on?"

Dakota laughed and hung up the phone. She looked at the counter in front of her and put the key in the ignition and turned it to the right a few degrees. Suddenly, she felt the boat rumble beneath her, trying to roar to life. Dakota smiled as she watched Josh walk out of the engine room and smile up at her and give her a thumbs up. She watched as he pulled the ropes in and threw them carelessly on deck. Her mind began to drift back to times when she would ride on the boat with her father from Seattle to Dutch Harbor when she was younger. She missed him terribly and cursed the Bering Sea for taking him from her at such a young age.

A few moments later, Josh vaulted up the stairs, taking them two at a time and sat down in the captain's chair. He motioned for Dakota to stand beside him and took her hand in his. He smiled at her with excitement in his eyes, "Ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," she said before she kissed his cheek. "Let's get this show on the road before we get busted by some one."

Josh laughed and pushed the throttle up. He smiled to himself, _This is a fucking dream come true having her on here with me. _He shook his head to clear his thoughts, _Slow down, cowboy. Let's take this one step at a time. _He glanced over his shoulder and saw Dakota watching the water move past the window and knew where her mind was. _She's a tough girl. I'll give her that..._


	6. Chapter 6

Later that afternoon, Dakota watched as Josh maneuvered the boat to get docked just as Phil had it. She kissed him on the cheek and made her way out on deck. She pulled her jacket close as the cold air bit at her. _Maybe I should have stayed inside,_she laughed to herself. She looked up at the dock and saw some one with white blonde, processed hair, dark make up and clothes that were not meant for Alaska. Anger boiled in her blood as she recognized who it was. Dakota spun on her heals to tell Josh that some one was waiting for him but as she reached the door, it flung open and Josh instantly put his arm around her shoulders.

"I need your help with the ropes. I'll throw you the ropes to tie off if you'll go over to the Northwestern to tie them," he said as he kissed her cheek.

"Um, you need more help than just tying off, Josh," she pointed up to the dock and saw the woman flip her hair and tap her foot impatiently.

Josh huffed and ran a hand over his face, "I know. But I'm trying to ignore her and tying off my dad's boat is far more important than talk to her.'

Dakota nodded and climbed over to the deck of the Northwestern and waited for the ropes to be thrown. She heard some one walk up beside her and exhale smoke. She looked up and saw Edgar smiling at her. She raised and eye brow, "What do you want, Hansen?"

"Nothing," he shrugged. "I just want to know who that broad is up on dock. I've never seen her down here before."

The woman glanced over her shoulder and saw the other woman staring at the Cornelia Marie. Or more specifically, she was staring at Josh. "You'll find out soon enough when we get on dock," she sighed.

Edgar paused and took a drag off of his cigarette and thought for a moment. "Oh," he said suddenly and lightly pushed Dakota. "That's-"

"Yeah," she cut him off. "Now shut up and help me tie this."

They worked in silence and every few moments or so, Dakota would check over her shoulder to see if the woman was gone or if she had made any move closer to the dock. Every time she looked up, the woman was in the same spot, waiting for them to get done. The woman never looked at Dakota or Edgar. Her eyes remained locked on Josh as he worked. Finally, Josh jumped over the rail and landed with a thud on the deck, next to Edgar. He sighed and took Dakota's hand, "Let's get this over with."

Edgar clapped him on the back, "Good luck, man." He smiled and hugged Dakota, "Go whoop some ass, Tsosie."

She smiled at him, "You may have to call the police if I do."

Edgar laughed and walked back inside the boat. Josh squeezed Dakota's hand, "Ready?"

She shook her head, "No. But I guess we better do this."

Dakota followed after Josh and climbed on to the dock and stood face to face with the embodiment of evil. Dakota had to force herself not to take a swing at the woman standing a few feet in front of her.

The woman looked at Dakota as if _she _was the seed of Satan and looked back at Josh with what looked like regret in her eyes. "Josh," the woman started. 

"Save it, Julianne. I don't want to hear your bullshit. Get to the point and tell me what you want," Josh spat.

"Alright," she looked at Dakota again, "I want you back, Josh. It was a mistake for me to break up with you in the first place because you're gone so much. But I realized that I want to be with you."

Josh took in a sharp breath, "Are you serious? You can't expect me to just brush everything you said off and take you back like that. Even if I could, it's too bad. I'm already with some one else."

Julianne didn't sway, "But I'm better for you than she it, Joshua. Can't you understand that?"

Dakota's blood instantly boiled. Up until that moment, she had kept her mouth shut and she had kept her wits about her. "Oh, really? _You _are better for him? Who was the one who dropped what she was doing to help him when he was in pieces after your break up? Who was the one that kept her mouth shut and never broke his heart with the fact that every time he was out making a living for you, you were out screwing random guys? Now, let's re-evaluate, who is better for him?" Instantly, she regretted saying anything about Julianne cheating on Josh. She glanced up at him and saw him staring at Julianne with unfathomable hatred. _Maybe he didn't hear me?_ _That's stupid. He's standing right next to me. How _couldn't_ he have heard me? _Slowly, Josh let go of Dakota's hand and crossed his arms on his chest. She quickly put her hands in her pockets to hold on to the warmth from Josh's hand.

"You lying, whore," Josh said simply. "How could you lie to me like that after the shit we've been through? How could you cheat on me after we've been together for five years?"

Julianne looked taken aback, "How can you make me the bad guy? She knew and never said anything to you!"

"You cheated on me," Josh shouted. "You slept with some one else!" He began to pace back and forth between Julianne and Dakota. "I want to know something," he said. "How many times did you call the boat just to tell me you "loved" me and then as soon as we hung up, you went and fucked some other guy?" The woman didn't say anything but just started at the gravel in front of her feet. Dakota put a hand on his shoulder in hopes of trying to calm him down. He spun on his heals and glared at her, "And how could you keep that from me?"

Dakota stood tall, "Joshua, I didn't know until this afternoon before you came to the bar. And trust me, I reacted the same way as you are now."

Josh shouted, "But don't you think I have a right to know, Dakota?"

"Josh, do _not_ yell at me. Yes, you have every right to be mad at me but not right now. Turn around and look at the woman who _actually_ did you wrong."

Josh glanced over his shoulder and and then looked back at Dakota, "Whatever." He locked eyes with her and spat, "I'll deal with you later."

Dakota took a deep breath and forced herself not to cry in front of him. She turned around and walked back to the Northwestern. She landed on the deck and quickly walked toward the door, pulling it open and shutting it quickly. She made her way down to the hallway toward the staterooms, looking in every room for Edgar. Finally, she found him. She stepped inside his room and instantly broke down as he sat up.

"Whoa! What happened, honey," he said as he stoop up and crossed the room.

"Julianna told Josh that she was better for him than I was. I blew up and let it slip that I knew that she had cheated on him while he was fishing. Now he's pissed at me too and said he'll "deal with me later". I don't know what's going to happen, Edgar," she sobbed into his shirt.

He held her close and stroked her hair, "He'll calm down and everything is going to be okay. I promise, Dakota."

She shook her head, "I've never seen so much anger in some one's eyes before, Edgar. It honestly scared me."

Edgar shook his head, "He's just upset with Julianne not with you."

"But I didn't tell him that she cheated on him! I'm his best friend! I'm not supposed to keep that from him!"

"So why didn't you tell him?"

"Because I didn't want to hurt him any more than he was."

"And when he understands that, he'll realize he over reacted," Edgar soothed.

The two of them stayed in a tight embrace for what seemed like forever. Suddenly, loud footsteps sounded throughout the boat. The ready room door flew open, "Dakota!"

She tightened her grasp on Edgar's waist and buried her face in his chest, "Here we go."

Edgar held her tight as the door to his room opened. He looked over and saw Josh with his hands clenched. "Look, dude, you can talk to her but I'm not leaving the room."

"Edgar, I just want to talk."

"I understand that, Joshua. But I'm not leaving the room."

Dakota looked up and saw Josh peering down at her, "I don't want him out of the room, Josh."

Josh looked back and forth between Edgar and Dakota multiple times. Finally, after a good five minutes, he turned on his heel and called over his shoulder, "Then I'll talk to you when you can stand on your own, Tsosie."


	7. Chapter 7

I know, its been forever since the last update. I apologize! Football season is always crazy for me... Any way, here's the new chapter. Enjoy! :)

Oh, and this chapter is dedicated to JakeHarrisLover. She should know why. (:

* * *

Josh slammed the door as he entered the house and threw the keys on the table. "Fuck," he mumbled to himself as he flung himself on the couch.

After a few minutes, Jake walked out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel. He looked at his brother for a long while and finally sat down beside him, propping his feet on the coffee table. He looked at Josh, "What happened, dude?"

"Who said anything happened," he snapped back.

"You did with that response," Jake said. "You came in slamming doors and throwing keys everywhere."

Josh glared at the coffee table as if it was the source of all of his problems. Suddenly, he stood up and started pacing in front of the fireplace. "Julianne showed up at the docks," he growled. "She tried to get between Dakota and I and you know what, Jake?" He stopped pacing and looked back at Jake. "She fucking succeeded. I let her get to me," he shouted.

"Okay," Jake ran a hand over his face, "I'm alittle lost, bro."

"Julianne was at the dock when Kota and I got back. She started saying all of this shit about how she missed me. Well, Dakota let it slip that she knew that Julianne cheated on me. I got pissed that Dakota knew and she ran off, crying to Edgar. I cussed Julianne out and went to go find Kota. When I walked in, she was in Edgar's room, holding on to him and just sobbing. He wouldn't leave so I told her that I would only talk to her when she's alone."

Jake stared at him and finally shook his head, "That was a bad move, bro. Bad move."

Josh flopped back onto the couch and groaned, "I know that, Jacob. But what do I do to get her back?"

"You could do what I always do and wait it out or you could go and try to talk to her."

Josh groaned again and buried his face in his hands, "Fuck me to tears, man."

Dakota sat on the the edge of Edgar's bed, trying to control her tears. She had been crying for two hours straight. "Edgar," she sniffled, "what do I do?"

He sat down beside her and pulled her to him, "What do you mean, honey?"

"What if Josh and I are done before we even started?"

"Not to be an ass but I think you're over reacting, sweetie."

She looked up at him, "How?"

"I mean," he stuttered, "it's not like the two of you were in love with each other or had been together for years or anything."

Dakota pushed him away and stood up, "That's what you don't get, Edgar! He told me he had been in love with me for years last night! And like the damn idiot I am, I told him that I still loved him too." She frantically ran a hand through her hair, "That's what has me hung up. Why would he do this if he "loves" me." She looked over at Edgar, "Now do you see why I'm "over reacting"?"

Edgar nodded, "Yeah. But do you really think he'd do this if he "loved" you, Dakota? Honestly tell me what you think."

Dakota stood in the middle of the room and stared at him. Her head spun with confusion. She chewed on her lip as she contemplated. Finally after a while of deafening silence, she looked up at Edgar and with a single tear rolling down her cheek, she said, "No. I don't think he loves me, Edgar. I just got used by my childhood best friend." Her knees buckled under her small frame and she collapsed in the middle of the room. She curled up and held her knees to her chest as she sobbed.

Slowly, Edgar laid down beside her and held her to his chest again. He soothed her until he finally felt her breathing slow and become deeper, signaling she had fallen asleep. He carefully picked her up off of the floor and gently laid her on his bunk. Once he had her situated, he climbed in and pulled the covers over them. He held her close with his arm wrapped around her waist and kept her company while she slept.


	8. Chapter 8

Dakota woke up to her back pocket vibrating and singing. She groaned and turned over so she could reach her phone. Looking at the screen with sleepy eyes, she saw a picture of Phil Harris with two cigarettes in his mouth. Sighing, she answered the phone. "Hello," she mumbled as she rubbed her eyes.

"Hey, baby," some one said.

Her brow furrowed and a look of confusion crossed her face, "Phil?"

"Guess again, sweetie," the voice said.

She sighed exasperatedly, "Well its one of the Harris'. So why don't you just tell me?"

"Promise not to hang up?"

She narrowed her eyes as if the other person on the phone could see her, "I guess?"

After a long pause, the person sighed and said, "It's Josh. Please don't hang up, Dakota. We need to talk."

Dakota ran a hand through her hair and contemplated hanging up or staying on the phone. _What could it hurt if I just listened to him? _She rolled her eyes and shook her head, _What could it hurt? He could tell me he loves me and then he's going to turn around and do that shit again. Hang up._ She glanced down beside her and saw Edgar sleeping, still facing her. Dakota quietly maneuvered her way out of the bed and into the galley. She held the phone close to her ear and cleared her throat, "Josh?"

"Yeah, baby?"

She sighed, "Don't call me that, please."

Josh sat in silence and glared at the floor, "Okay. We really need to talk, Dakota."

"We have nothing to talk about, Joshua. I personally think you over reacted."

"I know," he sighed, "and that's what I want to apologize for. I shouldn't have acted like that and I shouldn't have said what I did when you were with Edgar."

"No, you shouldn't have," she seethed. "Yes, you have every right to be mad at me for not telling you what Julianne did but you had no right to tell me that you would _deal_ with me later. I'm not a rag doll that you can beat up to _deal _with. Honestly Josh, who do you think you are?"

Silence fell over the line again and after a few moments, Josh finally managed, "I'm no one without, Dakota. Can we please move past this? I need you."

"Really," Dakota spat. "Because I needed you earlier and all you did was tell me that you would talk to me when I could "stand on my own". What kind of boyfriend says that to his girlfriend if he "needs" her?"

"Dakota, please," Josh begged.

"No!" She shot out of the booth that wrapped around the galley table. She paced up to the wheelhouse, stomping the whole way. "I see how this relationship would go if I gave in right now and took you back. Things would be great for a while and then the same shit would happen over and over. So you know what, lets just avoid that cycle and say goodbye right now. Goodbye, Joshua." She pushed end and cut the call. As she flopped down in the captain's chair, she threw her phone across the dash. "Fuck you, Josh," she mumbled under her breath as she pulled her knees to her chest and stared out over the harbor.

Edgar stumbled up the stairs and looked at her with sleep filled eyes, "Why are you stomping, woman?"

She turned her head and glared at him with pure hatred.

The sleep instantly left his eyes as he walked over to stand beside the chair, "What happened?"

Dakota took a deep breath and relayed the story to the break up with him. When she finished, she buried her head in her knees and screamed bloody murder until she was blue in the face. She looked up and saw Edgar smiling at her. She blushed, "Sorry."

Josh stomped down the stairs and grabbed his keys off of the table by the door. He snatched the door open just as Phil was reaching for the knob. Phil looked at his oldest son with surprise, "Where's the fire, kid?"

"No where," he mumbled. His skin itched to get out to his truck and get to his destination. Maybe it was a mistake but at this point, Josh Harris didn't care.

"Then where the hell are you running to?"

"I, uh." _Quick, idiot! Say something! _"I left something down at the bar when I went down there earlier. And I think I may go see Dakota. She's on the Northwestern."

Phil watched Josh suspiciously and reluctantly stepped out of the way for him to get to his truck. He stood in the door way and watched as Josh slung gravel behind him. He shook his head and walked inside. As soon as he had seen the keys in Josh's hand, he had seen through the lie and knew exactly where Josh was going. _You're an idiot, kid. _

Josh walked up the stairs the the apartment door that was all too familiar and knocked. He bounced on the balls of his feet in the cold in a desperate attempt to keep warm in the frigid air.

Slowly, the door opened to reveal Julianne wearing a short silk robe with a fire in the fireplace behind her. She looked taken aback, "Josh?"

He smiled and pushed his way into her apartment, and shut her door. He looked back at her and took a step toward her, hunger in his eyes.

"Joshua? What's gotten into you?" She watched him approach her, never backing down or losing any ground.

He slid his hand around to the nape of her neck and his lips met hers with a sudden need and longing. _What am I doing? I should stop this now before it gets too far. Who the hell am I kidding? Dakota hurt me so its my turn and I'm taking it._ As clothes hit the floor in random spots on the way to Julianne's bedroom, pictures of Dakota Tsosie played continuously in Josh's mind.


	9. Chapter 9

Dakota continued to stare out over the harbor, well into the night. Sig and the rest of the crew had arrived back hours ago but she still refused to move. Yes, she was not longer mad but in stead, she was in the I'm-not-upset-I-just-don't-wanna-move phase. Every time some one would offer to feed her, she would politely decline and continue to stare. Finally, Sig became sick of not being able to sit in his captain's chair. He stomped up the wheelhouse stairs, "God damn it, Dakota! Are you ever going to move your ass or am I gonna have to move it for you!"

She lifted her head off of her knees and looked at him, "How long have I been sitting here?"

"Edgar says since this afternoon."

"What time is it?"

Sig glanced at his watch, "About eleven thirty. Can I have my chair back?"

Dakota smiled and nodded. As she stood up, she saw some one walking toward the boat. She leaned out of the window to get a better look at who it was. Her eyes widened when she realized who it was. "What the hell is he doing here?" She pulled her head back in and spun to face Sig. "Did you call him?"

Sig walked over to the window to see the man step over the rail and land on the deck. "No," he said as he leaned back inside, "I haven't talked to him in years."

She glanced back out of the window and then raced down the stairs. She dodged her way through the crew and out on to deck. When she stopped and looked out by the sorting table, she saw Edgar talking to the man. Slowly, she walked over and joined the two men. Edgar put his arm around her shoulders but she couldn't tear her eyes from the other man's face.

The man looked down at her and smiled, "Hey, termite."

Dakota shook Edgar's arm off and took a step toward the man. Her mind memorized and recognized everything about the man's face from his shaggy blonde hair and beard to how he carried himself. She took a step toward him and then threw herself into his arms. There was so much she wanted to tell this man but all she could do was cry and hold on to him as if he may leave again.

The man hugged her back and half heartedly laughed, "It's good to see you too."

She looked up at him, "You don't know how much I've missed you, dad."

The man crumbled and tears rolled down his cheeks, "I've missed you too, Kota. I wish I could have said goodbye but I couldn't. You don't know how bad that killed me every single day."

Dakota buried her face into her father's chest, "It doesn't matter. You're here now so that's all that matters."

Edgar cleared his throat, "Sorry to break up the family reunion, Ryan, but it's cold as balls out here. Do you guys want to go back inside?"

Ryan let go of his daughter and smiled, "Yeah. You guys got any coffee?"

"Man," Edgar laughed, "you _were_ gone for a while. This is a crab boat. You know we always have coffee."

Ryan laughed and motioned for his daughter to go inside first. When the group walked into the galley, a heavy silence fell over every one. Ryan smiled, "Hey, guys."

Matt stood up and walked up to Dakota's father. They stood toe to toe for a while and then finally, Matt offered his hand to him. Ryan smiled and shook it and looked at the rest of the crew who smiled back.

Nick walked over and clapped Ryan on the back, "You gonna stick around this time? At least for your daughter's sake?"

Ryan looked down at Dakota and nodded, "Yeah. She couldn't get rid of me even if she wanted to."

Dakota hugged him, "Good. Because you're stuck now."

Sig walked down the wheelhouse stairs and found every one standing around, talking to Ryan and Dakota. He walked over and shook Ryan's hand, "It's good to see you made it back up, man. How are ya?"

"I'm hanging in there," Ryan sighed.

As Sig and Ryan caught up, Jake walked over to Dakota, "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," she beamed.

"Where did your dad go for so long? I kinda got part of the story from Edgar but he doesn't like to talk about it."

Dakota's smile faltered and she looked over at the group of men, "Let's go upstairs and I'll tell you. It's not a very happy story, Jake."


End file.
